Looking back over my life so far, the moment I am proudest of is really not defined by some big celebration or a glass award. Instead, it came during one of the darkest and most discouraging periods of my academic journey.
In my third year at the university, after two years of steady progress, I suddenly reached a breaking point that made me question everything. The weight of result errors, inexplicable failures and the exhausting process of rewriting courses I sat for but was marked absent, felt like a very unfair burden. To see an “F” of Zero boldly written against my name for a course I knew I had worked hard in was disheartening beyond words. Even worse, attempts to get these result errors corrected were met with dismissive silence from the course lecturers. I felt powerless, angry and deeply tempted to walk away.
Dropping out was not just a passing thought; it was a very strong urge. I remember telling myself, “Why fight a system that seems determined to crush you?” At that moment, leaving school appeared to be the easiest option, a way for me to escape frustration and disappointment. Yet, deep inside, another voice reminded me of something more enduring, the principle of perseverance. During those weeks of having crying jags, mom taught me about perseverance and she said it was the quiet strength to keep moving forward even when the odds seem stacked against you. She also said it is the refusal to surrender to temporary setbacks, no matter how painful they may feel in the present.
Clinging to those words wasn’t easy. I was required to swallow the bitterness the lecturers threw at me for something that was clearly their fault, to prepare again for resits and to walk into exam halls with the determination that I would not let previous disappointments define me. Some days, the temptation to quit would resurface, but, I kept reminding myself of the bigger picture which is the degree I had set out to earn, the dreams I carried in my heart and the belief that the journey was still worth completing.
When I finally completed my four years a month ago, I felt grateful I persevered. In those moments with my coursemates, after our final exams, while we were celebrating those draining four years, I realized that my proudest achievement was not simply that I finished university, but that I stayed true to a core belief in never giving up, no matter how strong the wind blew in my direction. That period tested me in ways I never imagined, but it also shaped me into a stronger, more determined person. I did it to make my mom proud. To see that beautiful smile on her face for having a graduate in her house.
I’ve told myself that whenever I face new challenges, I will look back on that season as a reminder that perseverance is not just a value I admire, it is a principle I have lived and one that will continue to guide me.
Xoxo🌸